Sessional_Paper_1927 — Page 98

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graphy, that this apparatus has been the first objective of the pirates and on no single occa- sion has opportunity been given of calling for help by this means. It therefore becomes apparent that wireless telegraphy, as now operated, is of no value as an anti-piracy fitting, and it is necessary to seek other means for making it an efficient safeguard. this end two schemes have been put forward :—

(a) A system of Negative signals.

(b) An automatic distress call.

To

(a) The system of Negative Signals was put forward by Mr. L. H. King (Hong Kong Government Electrical Engineer), who proposed that it should be worked in the following

manner:

All ships coming into the Hong Kong wireless telegraphy area, having established communication with Cape D'Aguilar, should give this shore station their call sign and O.K., say every four hours, and the non receipt of such message would be taken as a call for help.

Although Mr. King stated that this extra traffic could be adequately dealt with by his present staff several difficulties would arise:

(1) Expense of such messages to owners.

This might however be overcome by Government foregoing the present minimum charge on messages or by, if possible, arranging to accept these calls free of charge as in the case of meteorological reports.

(2) Break down of wireless telegraph apparatus due to causes other than

piracy.

This could be guarded against by the carrying by all ships of an emergency coil set. (3) The necessity for very careful organisation for "relaying" such

messages.

As a ship might be pirated within a few hours of leaving port, say Singapore, and before having established wireless telegraph communication with Hong Kong, it would be necessary to obtain the co-operation of all coast Wireless Stations from Singapore to Shanghai, and also of all ship stations, in order that each ship might be passed on from one station to another (by direct or relay communication) in an unbroken chain. The weak point in this chain would be ships in Class II and Class III, which do not keep continuous wireless telegraph watch owing to carrying, in the case of Class III ships, only one fully qualified operator. This difficulty might however be overcome by the employment of Wireless "Watchers" such as are now being trained in Hong Kong.

It is interesting to note that since the s.s. "Sunning" was pirated this system has been tried. The s.s. "Anhui", on a voyage from Singapore to Hong Kong, suspecting that she had pirates on board, established communication with Hong Kong at 900 miles, and kept up regularly timed signals until her entry into port.

(b) Automatic Distress Call.-This system would necessitate the casing in of the wireless telegraph transmitter in a bullet proof case, so as to render it immune from being tampered with by pirates. On the bridge or in other suitable position would be placed the Automatic Call apparatus, also encased in a bullet proof chest, which, when put into action by the pulling of a single cord, would automatically send out distress signals until such time as the mechanism ran down,-power being derived from the ship's en- cased transmitter.

A demonstration of one of these Automatic Call machines was given before the Commissioners and it is claimed that this invention :---

(1) Once set in motion by a single movement will be impossible to stop unless :--

(a) The electric leads, which should be enclosed in steel tubes, are cut. (b) The steel chest is broken open and the mechanism smashed.